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Arguably, the clearest message of the U.S. election that gave Barack Obama four more years in the White House is that the Republicans have lost touch with large segments of the American people.

The election was close statistically, but not really a cliffhanger.

The Democrats won most of the so-called “battleground states.” But even that is not as significant as who comprised the voters for each candidate. The 48% of Americans who voted for Mitt Romney were mostly conservatives (many at odds with one another) and white.

The 50% who voted for Obama were an ethnic mixture — African-Americans, Latinos, minorities, along with white Liberals and leftists.

In other words, the base for the Democrats was broad and inclusive.

The message for the Republican brain trust (assuming there is such a thing) is NOT to be more ideologically conservative but to be more inclusive — appeal to all Americans, not just those who fit into a narrow “conservative” box.

For example, someone who supports abortion, contraception, or same-sex marriage is anathema, to some who revel in their conservatism. Evangelicals, Tea Partiers, libertarians, aging white conservative traditionalists who comprise much of the Republican Party, seem more fearful of each other than concerned about their country.

Whatever one’s view, the Republican Party has got to become more relevant and broaden its base to be more inclusive if it hopes to regain the White House.

It scares off immigrants, rather than welcoming them — which the Democrats distorted and exploited.

Interestingly, the challenge facing Republicans is something already being practised by Canadian conservatives.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who in many ways seems wiser than his American counterparts, brushes issues like abortion and gay marriage aside, and shows no signs of changing existing laws or confusing these personal issues with government or party policy. He actively seeks immigrant support.

That one senator in the U.S. who believes it’s God’s will if a raped woman becomes pregnant could throw a presidential campaign into chaos is bizarre, and reveals a certain fragility in the system.

Nutbars exist in every political party, and one hopes when they periodically emerge in Canadian politics, they are viewed as oddballs and don’t threaten the leadership.

Of late, Prime Minister Harper has been touring the world, drumming up business for Canada. He and his party realize that the U.S. is in economic trouble, and he seeks to broaden Canada’s trade base.

He’s been campaigning in India to develop trade relations — long overdue with the largest democracy in the world. This sends a message that Canada wants business, and it inevitably helps the party in power that reaches out to others.

In the U.S., Obama has reached out to the rest of the world, but he is overtly more political than, say, Harper.

Obama’s international gestures have paid off in popularity abroad, but haven’t helped the economy at home.

In Canada, Harper isn’t flamboyant or noisy. But he’s competent, seems assured, and has an agenda that has made Canada the envy of the world in these difficult times.

In three or so years, when there’s another election in Canada, Conservatives will likely be re-elected for the very reasons that the Republican Party was defeated last week: It is inclusive, knows what it is doing, and is successful.

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The tale of Toronto Sun founding editor Peter Worthington’s role in the escape of his interpreter from the Soviet Union in the 1960s is the stuff of legend. However, Worthington wanted to wait until all the protagonists — including himself — were dead before he told the story in complete detail. So here, for the first time in publication, is Part 2